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This Is Me--2019 A to Z Theme

The Challenge of 2019 was the 10th! Since this was kind of a milestone year for A to Z my theme was a retrospective of sorts, looking at my 10 years as a blogger as well as ruminations about my life as it is and as I hope it yet can be. I've got places to be and people to see along the way. Hope you'll join me for this part of my journey...

Always a work in progress--welcome to my blog.

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

A Very Special and Exciting Announcement!

Are you ready for the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge?

I know that some of you are ready because you've told me. Others of you may be thinking about it and I'm hoping that today's post will get you to thinking a bit harder about it. And then some of you may be thinking, "What's a Blogging From A to Z Challenge anyway?"

This challenge started last year to celebrate my reaching the 200 follower mark. I had no idea that it would take off as well as it did in the short lead time I had in 2010. Nearly 100 bloggers participated last year with many more keeping up with the progress. In the end most of the participants were very satisfied with having been a part of the challenge.

How does the Challenge work?

The premise of the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge is to post something on your blog every day in April except for Sundays. In doing this you will have 26 blog posts--one for each letter of the alphabet. Each day you will theme your post according to a letter of the alphabet.

You will only be limited by your own imagination in this challenge. There is an unlimited universe of possibilities. You can post essays, short pieces of fiction, poetry, recipes, travel sketches, or anything else you would like to write about. You don't have to be a writer to do this. You can post photos, including samples of your own art or craftwork. Everyone who blogs can post from A to Z.

How can this Challenge help you?

Ask someone who did it last year. I invite any of you who Blogged From A to Z in April 2010 to leave a comment below telling how the challenge helped you as a blogger and otherwise. Some of the benefits that I have seen mentioned and personally experienced were improvement as a blogger and a writer, greater self-discipline, finding new blog friends, and increasing followers to each of our own blogs.

This year the Challenge is being announced two months ahead of time which gives everyone plenty of time to prepare. Taking this in into consideration I anticipate having at least 300 bloggers joining in with us and I hope you are one of them.

And here's the best news of all!

Last year was nearly overwhelming for me to administrate the ongoing challenge by myself. There is no way I can expand this Challenge to 300 or more participants and expect to do it alone. That is why I've joined up with three of the most successful bloggers and blog event organizers that I know.
Just in case you don't know these great bloggers and writers, let me introduce them to you:

Talli Roland from her self-named blog and the author of The Hating Game , her recent novel which is still doing hot business. When Talli did her Web Splash to coincide with the release of The Hating Game, there were hundreds of fans who helped kick off the campaign with their own blogs. She'll be in charge of our international affairs since she currently lives in London, England. And Jen is already building her army of followers while Alex is taking control of CassaStar and the universe--it's a busy crew here.

And if you're a regular reader of my blog then you probably know something about me, Arlee Bird--there's plenty written about me in my blog pages. I encourage you to click on the above links to three blogs and give your greeting and, if not one already, become a follower of each of their blogs.

Whenever you are ready to join up with us, sign up on the Linky list or if you're not sure how to do that let one of us know and we'll add your blog to our list.

Linky list is no longer accessible on this page.

Below is a badge you can add to your blog to help advertise to your readers. If you give us a plug on your own blogs now and then we wouldn't mind that either. This lovely badge was created by Jennifer Daiker.

Now let's hear about your A to Z experiences, opinions, or questions. Help us make this a big success and you become a better blogger.

My post is up! And four followers have already signed on for the fun. I sent out a Tweet and an email to the BTTCafe Yahoo Group, so hope there's many more. Thanks for the great words. And yes, I do swear by the challenge!!

I am so pleased that there is to be another A to Z, Through last years challenge I gained more followers , it was fun and it brought alot of people together via our pcs. I wouldn't have missed it for the world and God willing will be doing it this year.

Awesome doesn't even begin to describe how awesome of a blogger you are!!!! Seriously! This post rocks! I am so excited to join the bandwagon with the three of you!!! I'm looking forward to April being the best blogging month just like last year!

Ellie -- I think you'll find A to Z very rewarding. Glad you joined up.

Jamie -- Glad to have you with us again. This one will be better than the last.

Alex -- You've been a continual spokesman for the challenge over the past year. With your help this ones gonna be great.

Yvonne -- You blew us all away with your effort last year. Glad you're back.

Ella -- We appreciate whatever you can do to help make this a success. Our combined team will be a driving force to get A to Z going, but the efforts of bloggers like you will send it into the stratosphere. Invite everyone you know.

You 4 are going to rock the world in April! :) My life is absolute chaos in April due to preparation for provincial testing and having a student teacher. I don't think I'm going to be able to join. If things slow down, I'll let you know. If not, I'll cheer everyone on from the sidelines!!

Hello ArleeWasn't going to but thought it might be fun again. Have relied on my camera too much recently so must think about words again lolYou won't be mentioning that 'F' word too much will you - no not the naughty one lol Take careCathy (Still Waters used to be Cathy's Capers)

Cathy -- Good to hear from you and glad you're going to Blog From A to Z again. For the life of me I'm not sure which "f" word that would be. "Forgetful" maybe? I tend not to remember a lot of things. "Fun" -- I will be saying that word a lot I'm sure. Maybe it will come to me later.

Great Wednesday surprise. The challenge sounds like lots of fun. I enjoyed following it last year. I've been trying to figure out how I could participate. I've already got several authors lined up for April and several more I'm waiting to hear back from so scheduling authors with the A to Z won't work. That would be an interesting challenge though.

Wow Arlee, you are amazing, many must be grateful to you for bringing bloggers together and most importantly keeping the buzz and the excitement of blogging high. And for that I thank you too because it is a tough and motivated job.

I love challenges and always tempted to join in, plus I strive under a deadline, but I know I could not commit to something I won't be able to fulfill. But I will certainly keep in touch on the posts and the participant bloggers.

Ocean Girl-- You can do this! It's not like a sacred commitment like marriage or something like that. It's a personal challenge like NaNo where it only up to you to decide when it's time to stop. I think you would be very good at this and you should try it.

Hi. Lee Thanks for your comment on my latest post, I will give my readers a few days to post comments before I expound upon my theory. Lets just say for the moment it's a spiritual thing. Yes I did see your a-z challenge but have no idea how to join. I went to linky links and didn't understand a thing of what they were saying so do me a favour and help me join in. God bless you my friend, speak soon.

Hmmm...by the sound of it, in April, there'll be a whole lotta blogging and a whole lotta reading going on. I'm signing on, hoping that by this time I'll have some sort of discipline back in my writing.

I am definitely on. Last year was a blast, and I am sure this year is going to be even better.When I started the challenge last year, I had been blogging almost two years and had 20+ followers. But the end of the challenge, I was 50+ and now I am five times the number. It was all because of the A to Z.

Glad to join you! I found you through Rayna. Thanks for the invite! I've put your badge in my sidebar and am doing a post soon to advertise this party. I started blogging in 2009, but didn't really get going until spring 2010 when I was on bedrest for whooping cough. (That's one I totally recommend against getting...seriously nasty stuff...) I'm excited to meet new writers and to practice my own.

@ Lee - my photo-blog is one photograph a day. No text, only the title and the photograph.I am hoping to have the entire month scheduled in advance, so I have more time for visting other blogs.Should be fun.

I feel so lame for signing up at number 164. I feel like I should've signed up sooner.I'm hoping this'll motivate me to blog regularly. I loved the A to Z Challenge last year. I'm definitely looking forward to it this year. In fact, I'm already starting to think about a few ideas.... :)Thanks, Lee. :D-Wolfie

A challenge? Oh I love me a challenge. Bring it on! I'm excited to give it a whirl. My only problem--I'll be in Hawaii from April 1st-10th. I'm hoping small blogs via iPhone will do the trick :) Then when I get back I will be better. I promise :)

I'm excited to see how every one else does. I'm with a few of you: what the heck do you blog about for letters Q, U and X? That will be tricky. Not sure I'm creative enough for that.

Wolfie --#164 is not that bad. And you're the only one who has that number so that's pretty cool too. You did fine last year and I'm sure you'll do even better this year. If you know anyone else who blogs be sure to tell them to join up so we can reach 300.

Angela -- Looks like you've just started your blog. A to Z is a great way to kick it off. You could preschedule your posts so you don't have to worry about them while on vacation. That we you could just try to comment on some other posts.I'm sure you'll be creative enough to handle the most challenging aspects of the challenge.

Okay this may be a stupid question, but can we take breaks from the A-Z in the month to do other posts like the microfiction Monday and haiku Wednesday ( so long as we pick up where we left off with the alphabet on the next day) or would that be considered cheating? :O)

Madeleine -- You can certainly handle your challenge in any way you please. In your case may I suggest doing the haikus and microfiction as planned and use creative ingenuity to somehow link the post to that day's letter of the alphabet.

Ivy -- Yay, Ivy! A to Z is ideal event to comeback and get back in the writing habit while making new friends.

Elizabeth --- Yay! So happy to have you as a part of this. Yes, the visiting and commenting part is the real challenge here for most of us. Looking forward to hearing some creative ideas as to how others handle this.

Barb-- So happy to have representation from Snohomish. Glad you're part of this year's challenge. Please pass the word on to your blogger friends.

I can't believe I'm doing this considering the things I have planned for April, but I'm in! This challenge will force me to keep my posts shorter and more simple. I need all the help I can get. Participating in Mr. Hammons' and Talli's blogfest and then in D.L.'s mystery challenge was very rewarding. Thanks to you and your co-administrators for helping the rest of us bloggers achieve some goals.

Okay, I'm signed up. Just don't tell my husband! I've put the badge on my blog, marked my desk calendar with the "letter of the day" in April to help keep me straight. I participated in NaNoWriMo last year for the first time and learned so much from that discipline (no I did not finish, but did get half a book started!). Here it goes!

I thought about it for a couple of days and decided to throw my hat in the ring. Posted a quick message over at Pasticcio to tell my followers (all 3 of them) that I'm committing to the challenge. I'm thinking I'll pick 2 buddies to follow for the entire month and then make a couple of random blog visits each day as well.

I just signed up. I usually post twice a week, so this really is going to be a challenge for me. I have no idea where or how to start, but I guess that's part of the excitement. I'm just hoping to make more online scribbler friends and also trying to prove to myself that I can blog everyday if I put my mind to it. :P Looking forward to the challenge.

Elsi -- Looks like it will be time to grow your following. Glad you're in. You are thinking right to start moderately and go from there. There more you visit the more your blog gets out there. Good luck.

Nutschell -- Best thing to do is to just start from the beginning and go and grow from there. Have a good time with it and do your best. Thanks for joining us.

Christie -- Sounds like you're already experienced at this so you should get along quite well with this Challenge.

I'm thrilled to see our most recent additions to the roll call of A to Z participants. Now be sure to spread the word to anyone else you know who's hasn't yet committed to the Challenge. The more we have on board, the more options of blogs to visit.

Okay this sounds like alot of fun too me. I just started blogging at the end of Nov. So I am really into growing in my wrting and learnign about this wonderful world of blog. So I surely am in. Thank youBlessings

I did this challenge last year, and it was great! I didn't think I'd be able to come up with all the blog posts, but I did, and it really helped build my blogging skills and I got to meet so many other bloggers.

I've only been blogging a month and just about manage two posts a week. This seems like it might be out of my depth, although I still signed up. Nothing ventured...regards,moodhttp://moodywriting.blogspot.com

I just started blogging about a month ago. My blog is an art blog, my friend helped me set it up, she felt I needed an outlet for my art. So far, I'm having fun with it. It really inspires me to stay motivated and try new things. I'm really excited about this challenge and looking forward to the no boundaries creativity. Thank you for this awesome opportunity, I accomplish so much more when I have a goal to work towards! Very excited to see what everyone does! Have a splendid week! Thanks! :)Heather oh yes, littleredhenry.blogspot.com

hi mr arlee! like your name specially the lee part. :) me and mr alex and miss jen and miss talli been followers of each other for a pretty long time. im thinking maybe i could try doing that a-z stuff. my cp miss sharon just got in it and shes got some cool ideas. it sounds real fun but for sure i gotta think on it for a little more time. yikes! aprils coming soooo fast. i gotta think more fast! ack!...smiles from lenny

Hi! I'm a veteran blogger, gotten away from it for a while and am now finding my way back. A to Z sounds like a great project to get the creativity going again, and fun way to make some new blogfriends. Looking forward to it!

Thank you for creating this challenge! I just started blogging this month and creating art after dreaming of it for several years now. What a great challenge for bloggers! I know with joining, I will have the incentive to post everyday (and I need that gentle nudge). And checking out all the other bloggers out here will inspire me also. I am SO excited. April 1st tomorrow, right?

I'm so excited for this challenge to begin! I was thinking about how I happened upon this challenge by accident, and realized the potential for traffic that it could bring to my site.

I started looking around for other such challenges or blog chains or rings, etc. for when this one is over, but they seem a little difficult to find if you don't know exactly where to look...

With that in mind, I have just started a blog called "<a href="http://joinsomething.blogspot.com>Join something!</a>" where contests like this and people who run blog chains can go and advertise, or people like me can look to find something to join.

I realize it's a little late in the game, but this is the first (of many) challenge I have posted about there.

It's brand new, and a work in progress... it's a little spartan, but I will be adding other blog chains and challenges as we go, as well as working on the design.

I am always up for a challenge, and since I will be spending most of my time in bed due to an operation I am pretty sure I will be enjoying this event to the max. Not sure how it works exactly, but i am sure that I can learn along the way. Thanks for such a great idea!

Donald -- The days that you post are not absolute-- you may adjust them to whim or necessity, but it may affect visitors. As long as there is posting going on and you are actively in the challenge that's okay.

I went ahead and published your last comment because I wasn't able to quickly respond otherwise. I don't have a problem with using that site, but you may have a problem getting people to comment on it. Maybe it's easier than it initially appeared. If your posts are interesting enough then folks might not have a problem signing up with Yahoo!. I was in a hurry tonight and really didn't look at it. I would not pull your name off the list as long as you are posting in the A to Z Challenge and hopefully visiting some of the other bloggers and leaving comments. My suggest if you do leave a commment, leave a link to your blog because the link to your Blogger Profile leads to a dead end.Lee

This does sound like fun. I'm not good at challenges. Willing to try this one. Okay, in April when H rolls around, I could post a Langston Hughes poem, right? I'm fine. As long as I don't have to write anything. Okay, I'm signing up. Thanks for having me.

I came across this challenge while browsing over Swim - Write - Run, and I'm glad I did. I really need to get back into writing, and I feel this is a great way to "expand my horizons" so to speak. I'm looking forward to it!

I'm excited to get this kicked off! I'm not even sure how I found the challenge last week, but I decided to jump in, and have since challenged fellow YCN writers ... so far, 46 of the 700-some blogs signed up are my 'recruits'!

I can not believe how big you group is this time around.. I am very excited to do this again.. I think it will help me balance.. I am having a huge problem.. balancing... this will force me too..Great Lee.. does letter A start friday????

Well, I signed up but in the list I made an inane comment about being up for the challenge rather than putting in my blog title. I wonder if that could be edited? I am listed at #778 and my blog title should read "My Journey to Wellness" rather than what I mistakenly entered.

Good heavens, all these participants! I might just regret this, but I've just entered my second blog. I've got my fingers crossed that I haven't bitten off more than I can chew, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. I can't imagine how you'll manage, I imagine this is a huge undertaking. Thank you all so much. I think I'm about to hit a huge learning curve!

I've written my first entry. I'm so happy. Happy that I'm taking a chance. Not sure what to do next. It's on my blog. Do I need to link it here in someway? I'll just wait and see what the other bloggers do. Thank you for having me.

I was in the middle of a 30 day blog challenge, when I happened upon this A-Z one...and I saw the linky tool said 999 so far - you're next and thought it would be fun to be the thousandth one signed up! :)

I learned about this blog challenge from another blogger in a forum. I have participated in two other challenges (past, present, and starting a third), but this one sounds intriguing as my fourth blog challenge!

Can we sign up more than one blog? Now I see a few people did, so I guess that would be a "yes." My elearning blog is #1034 on your list! I haven't written my "A" post yet, but I did an intro post about blog challenges, if anyone wants to read it: Blog Challenges and Motivation.

Thanks for the ultimate inspiration for a (painfully) new blogger like me! There is nothing like a challenge to up the ante...hey, that starts with A, I am off to a rocket start. See me at www.oneladyarts.blogspot.comJami

Just heard about this today...after I posted. Hope that's not an issue...please let me know if it is and I will withdraw! I just completed NaBloPoMo for March and thought this would be a good, but different, challenge for April!

Thanks for hosting this really cool A-Z Challenge.I'm a new follower and hope you can stop by my blog and check out how I responded to the challenge with my own photos from A-to Z.http://oaklawnimages.blogspot.com/

I just read about this challenge on Holly's Crafts Blog and it's a wonderful idea! I'll get a late start, but I'll be back sometime this weekend to add my link, as I am definitely looking forward to taking part in this A to Z challenge!

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Another A to Z Mission Accomplished!

A to Z 2020!!!

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Who's responsible for this blog anyway?

A juggler of words and phrases. My main blog is Tossing It Out. The focus blog for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge can now be found at a-to-zchallenge.com where updates will be posted until the event in April begins.
Wrote By Rote is about memoir writing.
A Few Words is my Sunday contemplation blog.
A Faraway View is about dreams. Pick what you like or look at them all. I love blogging!